Tongue-support



(No Model.)

0. R UPPREOHT.

TONGUE SUPPORT.

Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

Nr'rn STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

CHARLES RUPPRECHT, OF CALUMET, MICHIGAN.

TONGUE-SUPPQ'BT.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 360,394, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed February .2, 1887. Serial No. 220,302. (No model.)

To all whom it may'concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES; RUPPRECHT, of Calumet, in the county of Houghton and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ton'gue supports; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of 'theinven tion, such as will enable others skilled 'in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in tongue-supports; and it consists in the combination of 'a stationary guide which is socured upon the top of the rear end of the tongue, a sliding hook which moves back and forth upon this guide, a draftchain, a pulley for changing the direction of the draft, an adjusting device connected to the chain, and an arm which is rigidly secured to the rear end of the tongue, and to which the front end of the chainis fastened, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of myinvention is to provide an attachment for sleighs by means of which the forward draft of the animalswill cause the front end of the tongue to be raised upward to such an extent as to take its weight from the animals, but which, when the animals are holding back, as when going down hill, will allow the front end of the tongue to drop, so as to enable the animals to guide the sleigh, and at the same time pull the single-trees back i from their legs.

shown in Fig. 4, and which will be of any de-' sired length. Placed upon this guide, and

moving back and forth thereon, is the slide D,

which has a hook, E, and a perforated arm, F, formed upon its rear end, as shown in Fig. 3. This-slide D moves back and forth upon the guide 0 from one end to the other, according as the team is drawing or holding back. The

double-trcc G is fastened to the hook E, and to the double-tree are secured the usual singletrees, When the team is drawing the sleigh, the single-trees and double-tree draw the slide D forward upon the guide 0 until the front end of the slide strikes against the front end of the guide. Vhen the animals are holding back, this slide is drawn backward by means of the chain J, which is fastened to the perforated arm F, to the rear end of the guide, thus drawing the single-trees back, so as not to strike the horses upon their legs. The chain J is fastened at its front end tothe arm F, passes back around the pulley pass through it.

\Vhilethe animals are pulling, the single and double trees are moved forward, carrying the slide D to the front end of the guide 0, thuscausing the chain I to exert a pull upon the arm 0 on the rear end of the tongue. This pull upon the arm 0 causes the front end of the tongue to be raised upward to such anextent as to take its weight from the animals.

WVhen going down hill, while the animals are holding back, the chain becomes slaekened, and the weight of the front end of the tongue causes it to drop downward, thereby causing the draft upon the chain I to be divided between the arms 0 and the hook D. In proportion as the front end of the tongue drops downward, the arm 0 causes a pull upon the slide D for the purpose of moving the single and double trees backward to the rear end of The arm 0 is shaped as shown in Fig. 5, so as toallow the-front end of the chain to the guide 0. \Vhen the front end of the tongue l. The combination of the stationary guide secured to the tongue, a slide placed thereon and having connected to it the double-tree and the draft-chain, the pulley for changing the IOO direction of the draft-chain, and an arm seof the tongue, substantially as shown and de- 10 cured to the rear end of the tongue, substanl scribed.

tially as shown. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 2. The combination of the sleigh or other presence of two witnesses.

vehicle the ton ue B the stationary guide rigidly secured 111011 the top of the tongue, the CHARLES slide D, provided withthe hook E, an arm, F, Witnesses: the chain J, the pulley I, an adjusting de- FRED. MACKENZIE,

vice, P, and the arm 0, secured to the rear end J AMES RAMSAY. 

